With the game - and possibly the season’s momentum - hanging in the balance, the Cleveland Browns turned to a trick play instead of their red-hot rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. The result? A missed two-point conversion that sealed a 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans and left fans wondering why the ball was taken out of Sanders’ hands when he was playing the best football of his young NFL career.
Let’s set the scene. Late in the fourth quarter, the Browns had clawed their way back into striking distance.
Down by two, they lined up for a game-tying two-point attempt. But instead of rolling with Sanders - who had been torching the Titans’ defense all afternoon - head coach Kevin Stefanski opted for a Wildcat look.
Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins took the direct snap. The play unraveled almost immediately.
No deception, no spark, no chance. The Titans sniffed it out, stuffed it, and that was the ballgame.
Afterward, Stefanski didn’t shy away from the decision. “Obviously, (it) did not go as we thought it would,” he said, owning the call but offering little insight into why Sanders was pulled at such a critical juncture.
When pressed, Stefanski simply noted, “It’s a two-point play. Didn’t come through on our first two-point play, got to the second two-point play, we didn’t come through.”
That explanation, while technically accurate, doesn’t quite capture the full weight of the moment - or the magnitude of the decision. Sanders was in rhythm.
He was confident. And he was producing.
The rookie finished 23-of-42 for 364 yards, three touchdowns, and one pick. He also added a rushing touchdown, showing poise and playmaking ability that belied his inexperience.
This was just his second NFL start, and yet he looked like a quarterback in command, not a rookie trying to find his footing.
And that’s what makes the decision so puzzling. Sanders had already proven he could beat Tennessee through the air and on the ground.
He had the hot hand, and the Browns had momentum. Instead, Cleveland chose misdirection over trust - and it backfired.
#Browns pulled Shedeur Sanders off the field for the 2-point conversion… and, well, yeah. pic.twitter.com/0fAFCUFFCe
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 7, 2025
This wasn’t just a failed play. It was a missed opportunity to ride the wave of a breakout performance and possibly steal a win on the road.
#Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on the 2-point conversion decision and pulling Shedeur Sanders off the field: pic.twitter.com/VRERxTxGIh
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 7, 2025
Stefanski took the blame, as head coaches should. But when your rookie quarterback is lighting it up and the game is on the line, you let him finish the job.
That’s the kind of moment young quarterbacks are built for - the kind that can define a season, or even a career.
Now, the Browns are left to regroup, not just from a close loss, but from a decision that will be second-guessed all week long. Sanders showed he’s got the tools. The question is, next time the game’s on the line, will he get the chance to use them?